Comment Letter to OMB Director Vought on Proposed Revisions to Federal Financial Assistance Regulations

Re: Comments on Update to Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance
I write to offer support for the changes to the federal grantmaking process to eliminate the politicization of grantmaking and ideological activities by grantees. I also write to suggest that the rule should reconsider a complete ban on fixed amount awards.

1. Necessary bans on politicization and ideological activity
   
   In recent years, federal grants have frequently been used for ideological and political ends that are not commensurate with the goals of either Congress or the American public. The proposed rule’s reforms to limit, to the fullest extent possible, the use of funds for political purposes and to end any support for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and gender ideology are essential to restoring federal grantmaking to its intended purpose. As the proposed rule states, the executive branch has a duty to ensure that grants are used for “congressionally sanctioned purposes, and not for extraneous ideological activities.” The proposed rule notes several legal authorities for this stance, but there are other, long-standing legal authorities to support such an effort.

Judge Glock is the director of research and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.